Carl Friedrik’s Weston Passport wallet is a luxury presentation for your passport, is very durable and provides basic card carry capabilities, but does it miss the mark?
(if you want to see all the features and how many cards and cash it can hold, please watch the video)
At Walletopia we also review passport wallets, which really open your eye to different designs, some more functional than others as world travel and border entry requirements change with the times. This is the Carl Friedrik Weston passport wallet, which I’ve always appreciated how they do their packaging. The muted gray color of the box resonates with me, as well as being a pleasant and clean presentation, which accentuates the wallet from within. This is a cognac color, with black and chocolate also available.
Sewing, of course, is what we always like to take a look at initially and with the Weston it all looks very good, nice attention to detail. The interior is a high grade durable fabric that complements the Italian leather on the exterior.
There are no features on the exterior of this wallet. I wish there was. I always appreciate some kind of a quick-access card slot, even with a passport wallet. On the interior, on the left-hand side is where the cover of your passport tucks in with the back cover sliding into the right hand side. On the right-hand side, we have three card slots, and these card slots do stack, which is nice, so they’re offset on the way down so you can easily gain access to cards. It looks like they could have done something more with one or two more card slots with the remaining space, but it’s a nice clean look.
I do like the corner feature where you tuck the two corners of the front cover of the passport. Under the right hand side pocket you can tuck cash, folded once underneath it. Folded once all currencies will fit.
It’s designed in London and made in Italy from a full-grain veg-tanned Vachetta leather by the Artigiano del Cuoio, which means “craftsmen of leather”, in Tuscany, Italy. It’s a small multi-generational family leather business. The interior looks to be a very nice Cordura, which is very durable. I love the color and the texture is nice to the touch. The thread is a single filament thread, which provides strength and durability.
Please note that the case does not fit passports where a passport cover is wider than the internal pages. I’m not aware of what countries have this unique configuration, but apparently there are some out there. Something of interest, passport specifications are determined by the International Civil Aviation Organization, or the ICAO, which is an agency of the United Nations, and it works with U.N. members to create standards in industry for machine readable travel documents, which would include passports. So while each country has a little bit of flexibility on creating their own passports, there are specifications on size which is something everybody follows.
It measures 5.3 x 3.8 x .3”, and it weighs 57 grams. I’ve always been impressed with Carl Friedrik’s wallets via their materials and construction, which are really good. Carl Friedrik is a Swedish company formed by two brothers who, like most companies, found that their needs and quality of products they wanted couldn’t be found in the market, so they went into the business themselves, which is very common. They produce wonderfully made, high quality products that are incredibly functional compared to other boutique leather brands. They offer a lifetime warranty covering repairs and replacements for functional damage on the products, which is a sign that they have a manufacturing commitment to what they make, as well as to their customers.
As is the case with all passport holders, I wish they would include some form of a pen because, when traveling internationally, you’re always asked on the plane to fill out migration documents. With the advent of digital everything, the chances you’re carrying a pen are low, so you end up asking your neighbor to borrow their pen, if they happen to have one. So having one available in your passport cover is a great idea.
Now onto the final score, for quality a 5, price a 2, features a 3, usability a 3, and perception a 5. That gives us a final score of 3.7 out of 5.
Carl Friedrik's Weston Passport wallet is a luxury presentation for your passport, is very durable and provides basic card carry capabilities.
